Let’s talk about love for a minute: how much I

Let’s talk about love for a minute: how much I love picking the brains of beauty innovation gurus like Victoria’s Secret’s Mark Knitowski, and how much I love giving away almost $100 worth of the new Love is Heavenly fragrance.Also, gotta love models in the flesh and an epic array of fresh flowers.

Toni Garrn + VS Angels Erin Heatherton + Lindsay Ellingson

I was so excited to go behind the scenes with Mark Kitnowski, the VP of Product Innovation over at VS. Think of Mark like you think of Pharrell, Timbaland, The Dream etc. … the perfumers are the talent, but Mark is the producer - and hitmaker. Never turn up your nose (literally/figuratively) at a VS scent, they’ve got the best people in the biz working on this stuff. PS My jam this winter was flipping up my usual niche 3 zillion dollar oud fragrance [which I only have a sample of, obvs] with VS Bombshell.

Mark explained the birth of Love is Heavenly, which was a marriage of two directions from two perfumers. One mod had the fresh, sparkling vivacity in the top notes … exactly what Mark was seeking for the “daughter” of the classic Heavenly scent … and the other had a rich, sensual base with this hint of masculinity that I’ve really been loving in these recent scents.

The result makes perfect sense - isn’t it funny what the first stage of falling in love is all about? That mix of innocence, wanting to get to know someone, do anything for them, that bubbly feeling in the tum … and then, indulging in the dark side! Listening to depressing music when they don’t call you, turning into an uncontrollable beast whenever you’re alone with them … HA. You know what I mean, right? Definitely a dichotomy.

A couple gems in the juice: dewberry in the top notes, which to me is synonymous with youth; water lily (grown and captured in a hydroponic setting - so it’s very pure and clean, without the earthiness of dirt!); and a triumvirate of woods including ebony that dries down to a very evocative “I kept his sweatshirt on all day” kind of feeling.

Pretty pretty launch luncheon!

Mark also pointed out that unlike the mega fragrance brands you buy at Sephora or the department store, there’s no middle man with VS, which means the money’s in the juice, not the markup or the ad campaign. And it’s in the packaging too, apparently - you’ll see what I mean when you get your hands on it. SO premium.

2. Leave a DISQUS comment below [click through if you’re reading this in tumblr] and tell me one memory from the beginning of falling in love, any time in your life … you don’t have to name names! I’ll put mine in the comments. Don’t comment in “Ask Me Anything” OR in the “FAN NOTE” area of tumblr <— guys, click through please, leave a comment on the blog not inside tumblr!

3. You must be 18 or older to enter. (You can ask someone to enter on your behalf if you like, up to you, but the prize will be sent to their attention).

Contest ends next Friday April 27, 2012 at 11.59pm Eastern. If you subscribe or follow to enter, you must be subscribed or following at the time of the drawing. Multiple comments DO NOT increase your chances of winning but love ya. Winner is drawn at random.